GENEVA - The rapid advancement of digital innovation is creating new opportunities to strengthen technical assistance and enhance its impact. Against this backdrop, the opening session of the 2026 WIPO Technical Assistance Webinar Series, held on May 28, 2026, focused on the role of emerging technologies in supporting more responsive, efficient, and future-oriented development cooperation, according to the official website of WIPO.
Organized within the framework of WIPO’s Development Agenda, the webinar entitled “Innovative Technical Assistance: Emerging Technologies and Approaches for Evolving Development Needs”, explored how advances such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technologies, machine learning, and other digital tools are reshaping approaches to technical assistance. Bringing together specialists and practitioners from different regions, the discussion highlighted practical ways these technologies can be leveraged to improve knowledge-sharing, strengthen institutional capacities, and better address the changing priorities of Member States and stakeholders.
The virtual session also served as a forum for sharing experiences and exploring how innovative technologies can be integrated into technical assistance activities to deliver more effective and sustainable results. The event attracted more than 300 participants from over 50 countries, with attendees actively engaging throughout the discussion and Q&A session. Recordings of the webinar are available in English, French, and Spanish.
The session was opened and moderated by Mr. Hongbing Chen, Senior Director of the WIPO Academy, who set the stage by reflecting on the changing nature of technical assistance and capacity-building. He noted that digital innovation is increasingly shaping development cooperation and technologies such as AI are becoming integral tools for delivering effective and scalable assistance. At the same time, he underscored the importance of addressing challenges related to digital inclusion and other issues around the use of emerging technologies.
Drawing on national experience, Ms. Catherine Kamali Bunyassi Kahuria, Chief State Counsel at Kenya's Office of the Attorney General and Department of Justice, outlined the country's ongoing digital transformation efforts. Her presentation highlighted initiatives to strengthen the digital economy, encourage innovation through academia-industry collaboration, and support the growth of creative industries. She emphasized that robust digital infrastructure, strong partnerships, effective intellectual property systems, and inclusive policies are all essential ingredients for sustainable innovation.
Mr. Nathaniel S. Arevalo, Deputy Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, showcased a range of technology-driven initiatives designed to strengthen IP services and enforcement. These included AI-supported mediation tools, partnerships with online marketplaces to combat piracy, and advisory services helping small and medium-sized enterprises manage their intellectual assets. He stressed the importance of tailoring technical assistance to local needs and ensuring that programs are regularly assessed and refined.
Focusing on the health sector, Mr. Sameer Pujari, AI Lead at the World Health Organization's Global Digital Health Strategy and Governance, explored how AI can support improved healthcare outcomes. He shared examples of AI applications in diagnosis and disease detection while highlighting the importance of governance frameworks, regulatory preparedness, and responsible implementation. He also emphasized the need for technical assistance that enables countries to develop the policies and capacities required to harness AI effectively.
The final presentation was delivered by Mr. Bruno Pouliquen, Manager of WIPO's Advanced Technology Application Center, who outlined WIPO's use of AI and machine learning technologies. He introduced a number of tools supporting intellectual property administration, including translation, speech recognition, and image-search solutions. He emphasized that successful technology adoption depends on clearly defined objectives, high-quality data, and approaches tailored to specific operational needs.
In summary, the webinar focused on the following:
• The role of emerging technologies, including AI, as core enablers of development-oriented technical assistance and capacity-building.
• Practical examples of innovative approaches to technical assistance, from AI-assisted dispute resolution to digital copyright enforcement.
• The importance of governance, readiness, and other considerations in deploying frontier technologies for development.
• The need for collaboration, inclusion, and sustainable models to overcome the digital divide and maximize the value of technologies to program delivery while ensuring technologies serve all beneficiaries.
This webinar formed part of the WIPO technical assistance webinar series established under the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) to promote dialogue and share experiences on capacity-building and development cooperation.
The second webinar of the 2026 series, entitled "Sustainability of Results in Technical Assistance Programs," is scheduled for 3 September 2026 and will continue the conversation on strengthening the long-term impact of technical assistance initiatives.